Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi are showered with flower petals by supporters before Rahul filed his nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Amethi. (AFP photo)

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, setting the stage for a high-profile, three-cornered contest in the family fortress Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi's mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi was by his side when he filed the nomination papers at the Amethi collectorate this afternoon.

Rahul's cousin Varun Gandhi is the BJP candidate from Sultanpur. He is pitted against Congress nominee Amita Singh, wife of Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who had won from the seat in 2009.

The event evoked curiosity as this is for the first time Rahul organised such a political campaign from a constituency where another Gandhi family member if fighting against a Congress candidate.

Amita along with husband also received Gandhi at the airport in Sultanpur and accompanied him in the roadshow.

Varun, son of Maneka and Sanjay Gandhi, had contested the last Lok Sabha seat from Pilbhit and won by over three lakh votes. After shifting to Sultanpur seat, he has been reaching out to people telling them that Sultanpur was the 'karmbhoomi' of his late father.